Category Archives: “It’s 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration!”

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Walk in the rain. Say “I love you”. Confront your fears. Take initiative. Compliment someone. Take advantage of the sun when it is out. Try a new ice cream flavour. Close your eyes, open a random page of a cookbook, and make that recipe TONIGHT. Take pictures. Shop at sales. Laugh. Play on a playground. Re-examine the influence the people in your life are having on you, then get rid of those who add negativity. Doodle. Wake up to see the sunrise. Stay out to see the sunset. Learn something new. Catch up with friends. See the good in people. Drink wine, or water, or whatever. Be artsy. Be nerdy. Wear glasses to make a fashion statement. Try a type of cuisine you are unfamiliar with. Make conversation with someone you don’t really like. In your mind only, curse the person who ruined your day. Vent. Go to the beach. Google random topics.Speak your mind. Try out a trend that never appealed to you before. Wear colour. Put on your highest heels just for the fun of it. Daydream. Read a trashy book. Be fearless. Watch an old classic movie. Drive without direction. Dance. Listen to music. Play a sport.Hug. Kiss. Appreciate your life, you only get one chance to.

I learned to deal with them. The good, the great, the bad, and the ugly. There are so many incidents in our life that defines who we are. Yes, it sounds lame, but acknowledging them is very valuable. So here is to:

That one tragic event that changed me for good. The day I know I’m over it, will the day I don’t remember the anniversary. Until then, I will continue to remember that one fateful day.

That humiliating rumor spread by some a$*hole in college. F$@k you, and all your accomplices. I want you to ask yourself today, was it really all worth it to you?

Not being treated the way we expected to be by the people who we know are our friends, but don’t always act like them. I realize now that I’m not always a friend. I do things to hurt people that I don’t always know. So, I suppose, I’m ok with the fact that I wasn’t invited to one or two parties.

My weight problem, my fear of pissing off my family, my need to be praised at work, my constant desire for attention. In short, my insecurities. They will be the one constant in my life, and if I can’t eliminate them completely, I will learn to live peacefully with them.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I there is so much more that makes me..well, me! It’s not important; I would probably spend days adding to this and I would lose everyones attention. One thing is true though – the both good and bad define us, and facing both is important. That said, I suggest forgetting about Oprah’s life classes and the doctors who recommend ways to improve your life in Cosmo – coming to terms with the bad in life is the best character builder.

Perhaps your company has given you the summer off, and suddenly, your days are going by a thousand times slower than normal. True it’s a sad situation, but when’s the last time you were free to do whatever you wanted? If there is anytime to believe that the world is your oyster, it is now!

Learn something. It is so easy to sit around and mope, but the best way to get rid of your misery is to distract yourself. Take a class, learn a sport, even take a trip if you can afford to.

Get in shape! Yes, this even goes for you lucky people who are naturally in shape. Exercise is not only a way to lose weight, it an be a hobby as well. Not a fan of treadmills? Try Yoga, Pilates, or the new and trendy exercise methods like Tabata.

Read an entire book series.

Watch all the seasons of any TV show that everyone else raves about, but you just never got around to watching. I did that with Modern Family, and I’ve never gone back.

Look for other opportunities. Getting the summer off could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

Spend time with the people you love.

Then, before you know it, you will be back to work with less time to do any of the above. Enjoy the time off 🙂

1. “Why didn’t you put up a sign that the computer isn’t working?”
Well, ok…do you have a hundred thousand calls coming in at once? If you did, would you have time to make a sign, and leave the desk to stick it to the computer? No, I didn’t think so.

2. “But I gave you my credit card when I reserved”
I promise I am not taking your credit card to go shopping at Barney’s. Just give me the card so I don’t get yelled at by my boss for not doing my job right. Regardless, we will charge you and you are not getting anything for free.

3. “I would like to make a dinner booking” “Of course, for what day?” “Oh I don’t know yet” *5 mins later* “I still don’t know”
Well…I don’t even know…Why are you..? Oh forget it.

4. “No, you are not really fully booked, I know it”
You don’t know it, because you are not looking at the reservations! The hotels want business, but if there is no room in the restaurant, that’s just the way it is. Yelling at someone will certainly not free up a table for you. Alternatively, you could eat somewhere else.

5. “I’m afraid you cannot bring your friends to the gym during these hours” “Why? I do it all the time”
If you do it all the time, then why are you asking if it’s ok? Just.Stop.Lying.About.It.

Everybody has charm – some just make it more obvious than others. Instead of writing a huge long paragraph, I’m going to take characters from well known TV shows and movies as examples; only because I think we have more in common with the actors who play them than meets the eye.

She’s sexy, she’s witty, and has a shoe collection to die for. Sarah Jessica Parker made her mark as TV icon’s Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City, and many people like her because she portrays living a life that is fairly ordinary. Putting aside the designer clothes and Manolo Blahniks, Carrie is a writer who lives in a small apartment in Manhattan. She’s not living in a penthouse on the upper east side, and shopping all day on Madison Avenue. Sure her writing career makes her more than the average person’s would, but at the end of the day she does her own cleaning and cooking (sorry, I meant ordering her own take out). SJP’s charm came from playing a fairly believable character. Have you ever noticed how people are naturally drawn to other’s if they are easy to get along with, and make an effort to blend in with everyone? That person, is the SJP in your life.

She’s one of my all time favorite actresses. Jennifer Aniston made Rachel Green so lovable, despite her self centered nature. People like this can be very charming, if you don’t take them seriously. You have to roll your eyes at their immature comments, and just remind yourself that they are amusing because of these traits. You wouldn’t love them any other way.

The bitch is back everyone! Kristin Cavallari has always been headstrong, and is never afraid to stand up for herself. We all know that person – the only difference is, in real life we don’t have producers to force us to be friends with the Kristins in our lives. These people are charming because they can be really nice, if they like you. If they don’t, well..good luck.

We all loved him on TV, but if Adam Brody acted like Seth Cohen in reality, nobody would talk to him. People like this are seriously misunderstood, because many of us are afraid to be different. Having said that, I honestly believe that everyone should make an attempt to have a Seth type nerd in their life, only because people like him are so honest and genuine. This kind of charm is rare, and seriously undervalued. Oh if only Seth Cohen were real, or at least still on the air….

And there you have it! Think about the people in your life, and try to find what traits make them charismatic – you will understand their characters much better. Good luck!

Lately, as I examine my personal life, I realized that I have girlfriends on the other end of the world from me, but I don’t have the same solid group here at home as I had when I was in high school. Through work and living life in general, I began to understand how superficial my relationship with the high school girls was. I began to understand what friendship really means, and how your best girlfriends can really be your worst enemies.

Women in general are created to nurture, but nurturing our girlfriends doesn’t necessarily mean we are being good friends. Of course, everyone has various opinions on what being a “good friend” is, but in general we want somebody to lean on during times of crisis, and to have fun with. Wait! It goes deeper than that. As women, we are not problem solvers – we tend to carry on fights way longer than men do. So when our girlfriend has a problem, we lean towards agreeing with her to make her feel better, as opposed to telling her the harsh truth. Let’s say your girlfriend is devastated that her boyfriend doesn’t communicate with her anymore, but you know for a fact that she frequently ignores him. If she was talking to a guy friend, he would straight up tell her that she is in the wrong as well. We would ignore her flaws, and vent about what a jackass he is, and how he should make it right. If we didn’t know what she was doing to him, we wouldn’t typically bother to ask, in fear of offending her.

There you have it. How women can be their girlfriends worst enemies, in a nutshell. Friendship is about support, but support doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with the other person constantly. It’s about knowing when to tell them the truth, and when to comfort them. One of my best friends is a guy, and let me tell you that we are brutally honest with each other. We have gone weeks without speaking to each other because we didn’t like what the other one said. But at the end of the day, we are still close because we trust each other. I trust him to tell me that I’m wrong when I’m blinded by my own feelings. I trust that he will tell me when something is bugging him, and I know that I can say exactly what is on my mind without him judging me. We have discussed everything possible, and I feel so lucky because he is one of the very few people I have such an honest friendship with. I’m fortunate to have met some girlfriends in college, and together, we spent countless nights telling stories in tears from the darkest moments in our lives, laying out our weaknesses, and discussing our goals and what we love. All without judgement, but instead, with perfectly honest opinions, and a good bottle of wine.

Over time, I have been able to better understand people, and why they act the way they do. I did not grow up with people who were vastly different – some might have been slightly wealthier than others, but ultimately we were exactly the same. We went to a fancy school and took expensive vacations, and basically everyone I knew was very generic. Living in this bubble for almost 11 years gave me the impression that everyone in the world were exactly like the people I grew up with. Wow, was I in for a reality check.

This is partially why I am so grateful to have gone to Switzerland and met all these people from different cultures – they gave me the reality check that I needed. Here is the thing though: there were a series of events in my life before I left for Switzerland that made me realize how wrong our stereotypes in society are. The main one being that wealthier people are classier and better people. We have this idea drilled into us by movies, books, and TV which emphasize the cross sections in society. Wealthier people are not necessarily better or worse people. People who are less wealthy are not necessarily better or worse people either.

It’s a fact that money changes people. They stop caring about others who are not on their “level”, and they don’t care about what happens to you, even if they are at fault. Having said that, some of them really do care and put their money to good use. Some people might not have a multi-million dollar mansion, but they are honest and simple. What you have is not important to them, it is the person you are that is. On the other hand, some people who are less wealthy have a chip on their shoulder, and feel threatened by others who have more. They then make themselves feel better by being mean to people who do have more, but never brag about it. Just because someone puts a smile on their face and is nice to you does not mean they are sincere. People’s true colours always show when the going gets rough.

What I’m getting at is that there are all sorts of people in the world. The arrogant ones, the simple ones, the insecure ones, and millions more. We cling to stereotypes to a certain degree because it makes life simpler to deal with – you know who you have something in common with, and who you should avoid. Take a chance! Try getting to know someone who is different from your friends or people in your school. Yes it can be stressful to encounter people who are not nice to you, but this is what makes life exciting! Can you imagine how boring life would be if it was predictable?

Once again, life’s chaos caught up to me and I completely oversaw one of the most impactful videos to ever go viral on the internet. With over 80 million views in less than 2 weeks, Kony 2012 has become a sensation. Along with millions of other people, my heart was touched by the thought and effort that went into making the movie and initiating the movement for change.

Being as intrigued by Kony 2012 as I am, I joined their Facebook page and followed them on Twitter. However, a line on their website inspired me to write this blog. “3. ENGAGE YOUR POLICYMAKERS. COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN DO MORE TO STOP LRA VIOLENCE. IT’S A HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY AND THE GOAL WON’T BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT GLOBAL COLLABORATION. ENGAGE YOUR LEADERS IN THE CONVERSATION.

TELL THEM WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU…”

This line got me thinking..why is this so important to me? And why should it be important to everyone?

It takes courage to speak up about what you really believe in, especially when nobody else is advocating the same cause. Everyone knows about third world hunger, and the issues with HIV/AIDS, but nobody knew about Joseph Kony before this video was promoted. Jason Russell, the creator of this video, was inspired by one boy’s story and promised him that he would do something to stop Joseph Kony. I don’t think he ever imagined the promise would take his project to such a high level. My admiration for Jason stems from my theory that although many of us are inspired by situations, and wish we can change them, we end up losing interest. Then we make up excuses like “We don’t have enough time”, or “We don’t have the right resources.” so we can feel less guilty for not following through with a plan or a promise. At the risk of sounding like a cynic, we are hypocritical. Having said that, our hypocrisy is not intentional, but is more because we fear judgement and failure. What if someone doesn’t agree with what we are doing? What if enough people ridicule our plan and it fails? These are thoughts are the ones that stop us from taking a leap of faith. Jason is one of very few people who didn’t let these thoughts get in the way of his vision to stop Joseph Kony. He persisted and look what happened! This movement has not only changed the life of that little boy he met in Uganda, but of so many people across the world.

So back to my initial question as to why Kony 2012 should be important to everyone. Well, I think Kony 2012 should matter because it will inspire people in different ways. It might inspire someone to re-evaluate what is really important in life, or it might give them faith to take on a huge project and make you believe that it will work. We always hear the phrase “change the world”, but this does not necessarily mean that all of us working towards resolving the world’s biggest problems. If everyone made one change in their life, they would be able to do more for humanity because they have helped themselves first.

Being one of the world’s most successful men, Bill Gates advice is valued by many, including myself. I’m not sure how many people have read this already but I think I should put it out there anyway. What is so great about this list is it offers tips that everyone can relate to, not just multi-billionaires!

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven (11) things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem.
The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.
You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.
Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault,
So don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room. Keep yourself clean.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.
*This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters.
You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
*Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life.
In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds.
Chances are you’ll end up working for one…

I have already made so many changes in my own life from these words of wisdom, I hope more can do the same!